Friendship Doesn't Matter: Part 1
by princessraritymlp
Summary: Twila, Charity, Annie Jane, Penny, Reagan, and Fawn have spent most parts of their lives in solitude. With only family, and no friends to show them how beautiful life can be, the six teens try to pour themselves only into the mediocrity of their lives. Based off of the MLP:FiM series and episodes, what will become of them when they're forced into the same magical world as ponies?
1. Charity

***(Based off of the original series My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic/Season 1, Episode 1: Friendship is Magic Part 1. I simply changed the names to create my own story plot and twist off of the original show itself. Each short story will be based off of an episode from MLP:FiM. The character development and whole of the stories themselves portray the series, thus credit must also go to Hasbro and the brilliant producers behind the series. The names and story line used are completely my ideas/development. I hope you enjoy my version of the show. The prologue consists of six sections to give a background on the beginning of the series and each main character. Then I will write the short story based off of Friendship is Magic: Part 1, and then Part 2, just like the original series but renamed and containing a different story line called Friendship Doesn't Matter: Part 1 & 2. Enjoy!)***

I woke up to the sun shining ferociously in my face, forcing me to surrender my sleep to its bright rays. Opening my eyes, I threw back the covers and hopped out of bed effortlessly. The smell of bacon and eggs was wafting through the house and a smile crept across my lips when I heard my little sister arguing with our mother about helping cook. I laughed to myself, knowing good and well her cooking skills guaranteed burnt juice, rather than burnt toast. Crazy, huh?

"But mom," she complained in her squeaky seven year old voice. "I really can cook!"

I started down the steps, giggling aloud. "You've gotta be kidding me, Belle," I smirked. "You couldn't cook if the world depended on it."

Belle crossed her arms, huffing and puffing at my comment. "Oh ya, well, you're…. er…. A horrible sister!"

I shoved my face into hers, a devilish grin cutting off her rude snare. "Ouch," I answered sarcastically. "Bite me!"

Belle's eyes widened and she whined unceasingly. "Moooommmm!"

My mother swung her head around, face as red as blood, and frustration seemingly pouring from her clenched teeth. "Charity," my mother hissed. "Be nice to your sister, or I swear I'll take away all of your privileges!"

"What privileges," I inquired challengingly. "It's not like I've got any friends or spectacular hobbies."

My mother sighed, flipping the bacon and eggs around in the sizzling skillet. "You do have your clothes…."

I nearly jumped out of my own skin at her reply. "No way," I screeched. "My clothes are like, me, ya know? They're all I got to add color to my life."

"Then behave," she responded, avoiding eye contact.

My face drained of color and I wrung my hands nervously. The simple threat of taking away my sense of style and availability to express it nearly devoured my entire being. But my mother was always saying things like that, and it wasn't new hearing the "I'll give away anything precious to you" scenario. In fact, it was as if she was always trying to find some way to mention or encourage giving our belongings away to the less fortunate, but little did she know I had personally run a good will drive last weekend. It was something I did often, actually, but I never had an interest in telling my mother.

My mother gazed at me questioningly as my brain wandered off, and then continued cooking breakfast. "A package came in the mail for you today."

My spirits instantly rose, knowing good and well it had to be the designer heels I'd just bought online. Perfect timing actually, I thought. The school dance was right around the corner and I was lucky to have gotten such a deal on the darling shoes.

"Here," my mom handed me the package, but it was smaller than I expected. "I didn't know you ordered jewelry."

I stared at the box, confused. I hadn't bought jewelry, so where did it come from? Curious, I cut off the tape and pulled each flap back, one at a time. The exquisite piece was wrapped delicately with gold foil. I slowly and carefully unraveled the packaging until its contents were revealed to me.

A bright light unlike anything I'd ever seen poured itself into my eyes. The piece of jewelry appeared as if it were a broach. I stared at the object itself, a diamond shaped blue gem, shimmering with intensity. I tried to look away but I couldn't.

Suddenly frightened, I called for my mom. I couldn't hear my own voice. The room grew even more concentrated in light, and I could feel my entirety being swallowed by its energy. I panicked, but it was almost too late to react in anyway because I was already falling through oblivion.

The last thing I saw was the diamond shaped blue gem again, this time grouped with two others just like it.


	2. Annie Jane

"What do you mean I ain't finished with all the chores," I complained heavily, moaning as I set the fresh bag of lemons on the counter. "I've done a mite more than Mac over there, and it ain't fair that I've been working since five this mornin'!"

"Now stop complainin' Annie Jane, you know Mac does the haulin' and you do the other jobs," my granny pointed out. "Plus, he's been doing the hard work since four this morn'!"

Frustration escaped my throat in a gnarled hiss. "Well, I sure hope it don't take all day to pick the rest of them berries and lemons. Not to mention, all the other vegetables I gotta' take care of out on the farm!"

Mumbling under my breath, I stumbled out of our beat up house that looked more like a barn than a livable space. I looked around at the acres of farm land, the stables, the beautiful oak tree that grew at the end of the gravel road, and the wooden fence that had enveloped our land for decades. Breathing in the sweet country air, I started toward the oak tree to check the black berry bushes nearby. It wasn't much of a walk but I fell distracted halfway there.

"Follow me Anastasia," a hushed voice motivated in the distance. "We've got to get home before dad notices I'm gone. Well, if he notices at all that is."

Running up to the oak, I grabbed the closest branch and swung myself up onto the tree's strongest limbs. I could see a girl my age coaxing a puppy to follow her, but it seemed more interested in sniffing the land near our wooden fence. Clenching my fence, I tried to keep my mouth shut as this crazy girl let the dog control where she went. No wonder she couldn't get home, I chuckled to myself.

"Oh please, Anastasia," she almost whimpered, "Come, come."

The puppy begins to explore the inch of land behind the wooden gates, and I nearly jump out of the tree. Climbing down from the branches, I holler at the girl.

"Ain't nobody supposed to be on this here property," I burst out. "get on out, lil' doggie!"

I chased the dog out and made eye contact with the girl. She had brown hair, brown eyes, a concealed persona, and could hardly look at me. Her eyes fell to the ground and her dog ran up to her feet to sit. I was frustrated mostly because I didn't have time for people or friends other than my family and the farm, but even more so because this girl just stood there like nothing was happening.

"Um," I started, but I was cut off by her muttered squeal.

I raised an eyebrow. "Now you just get along. Don't come wondering back on this land later, or it won't be so easy to walk away. Ever heard of trespassing? Now be gettin' gone. I should be seein' less of ya. Shoo, I don't really do, uh, friends or, er, people."

She continued to stand there, eyes seemingly pleading for something."Um, you're making this more awkward, so what's it gonna take for you to leave?"

I looked over the girl again. She looked a little hungry, so maybe she hadn't eaten for a period of time. I decided to quickly run behind the stables and grab a few apples from the growing trees. Just a few wouldn't hurt nobody, I thought to myself. I'd have to tell my granny later because I wasn't much of a liar; in fact, I always saw honesty as something mighty significant growing up.

I approached the girl again, this time with three apples cradled in my arms. "Soups on," I passed the apples to her, hesitating at first. "Now you get going, ya he-"

My eyes widened as something much brighter than the sun flooded my vision. I fell to my knees, or at least I thought I did, but couldn't exactly see or feel anything within or around me at the time. I lost control of my senses, and my eyes shot open, feeding on the light.

My brain wandered away with the rest of my thoughts and ability to manage myself, introducing me to something even more captivating. The girl suddenly entered my vision, yet was hardly apparent compared to the three apples in her palms. Reaching out, the three apples gradually grew in size until they swallowed me completely. Then everything was gone.


	3. Fawn

Right before my very eyes, the girl with the apples disappeared. My eyes were as wide as the moon itself. My dog was even howling at the sudden turn of events, and the three apples simultaneously tumbled across the gravel to the edge of my feet.

"Anastasia, something is very wrong," my voice quivered, breaking my words apart. "Let's get out of here."

I hurriedly gathered my dog in my arms and rotated my feet toward the road home. The path itself consisted of trees, bushes, gravel and rocks, and many other different types of foliage. My nerves were already so high, the very atmosphere I was about to face on my way home practically sent chills down my back just thinking about it. What if there were scary animals or icky spiders?

Cautiously walking forward, sweat dribbled down my forehead and my breathing quickened. The sound of gravel beneath my feet was enough to send a sense of panic through my shivering body. Oh please, oh please, I thought. Why can't I be home already?

Taking another advance on the road to my house, I swung my head to the side looking for danger and nearly missed the spider web inches from my nose. The second my face met the spider dangling from the web in front me, my heart jumped out of my throat and tears sprung to my eyes.

The spider blinked its eight eyes, apparently looking at me as if I were crazy. I stood there crying, not daring to move or ruin the spider web with a nearby twig. I simply waited.

I didn't know what I was waiting for but eventually my tears ceased, and I could make eye contact with the spider. It didn't seem too scary, I realized. Maybe it wasn't what I expected it to be, so I decided against removing the web from my path. Instead, a smile fell upon my lips and I rounded the spider's home to continue my walk.

With one last look at the spider, I felt a sense of certainty as I imagined its smile clouding my vision. "How strange," I spoke aloud, holding my puppy close. "I didn't know every creature had so much to say."

Gazing around at my wooded surroundings, my eye caught a stray butterfly flapping toward a patch of beautiful blue flowers. Following it out of curiosity, I found it perched on the petal of a blue flower, accompanied with two other of the same kind. I narrowed my eyes in confusion and surprise. I'd never seen a butterfly with pink wings and a blue middle before, and even more so, I'd never witnessed a group of three together in such a peculiar pattern.

Leaning closer, my dog yipped as if signaling danger, but his barking faded with my grasp of reality. I was falling forward and the butterflies were soaring in an organized cluster around my face. They grew larger with every centimeter I moved forward, losing complete control of my feet.

Almost unexpectedly, a bright light shot from the middle of the butterflies' synchronized circle, and they stopped fluttering. Harmonizing as one, they drifted together and made a simple assembly of themselves parallel to one another.

It wasn't too long after they came together, that the vision of the butterflies flashed and faded away into a shimmering mist.


	4. Reagan

"'Sup Reagan!"

My head shot up and a groan escaped my throat when I saw Skylar walking up to me with a soccer ball. This day could not get worse, I thought to myself. Trying to smile and act as if I sincerely enjoyed her company, I raced to the driver's side of my car and patted the handle.

"Sorry, Skylar," I lied, "I've got practice. No time for hanging right now."

"Aww," she frowned, looking down at her shoes, "well, that's the fifth time this week you've had practice. I was hoping you'd be free this time…"

Trailing off sadly, a hint of a frown swept across my lips as I watched her leave. She was only ten and I knew she wasn't too close to her family, but why did I have to be a sister figure to her? I didn't have time for friends, and I honestly didn't want them. I had to be focused on my sports so I could make it as an athlete in the Olympics. After all, I was the best on my team and in my school.

Opening the driver's side of my red Corvette, I crawled into the seat and twisted the keys to start the engine. I know I'd lied to Skylar to get rid of her, but I did actually have soccer practice this morning, and I was yet to have basketball practice later. Just not at this very moment.

I reached up to fix my mirror and checked behind me two times to make sure there wasn't any stray kids or animals. Perfect, I thought. Pulling the stick shift into reverse, I eased on the gas and slowly began pulling out of the driveway. That's when I remembered I'd forgotten my basketball for practice.

"Dang," I muttered under my breath, frustrated.

Pulling the stick shift back into park, I opened the door and hopped out of the car. Racing toward the garage, I spotted my orange basketball sitting all alone on the top shelf. Though it wasn't accompanied, my soccer ball sat beneath it and was paired with another soccer ball. Wait, another soccer ball? Confused, I picked up the second soccer ball and looked at it questioningly. I didn't know I had two of the same soccer ball.

Then I remembered. Skylar was carrying this exact soccer ball, and it was the same as mine. She had gotten one just like mine, because she wanted to be just like me. A tear escaped my eye as I realized how important I must've been to her. But it seemed too late to fix the damage I'd caused, so I grabbed my basketball and dragged myself to my car.

As I began to pull out of the driveway the second time, I adjusted my mirror and saw a small girl standing in the middle of the road behind me. As if in sync with my tears, rain began to fall slowly then all at once. Thunder crackled across the sky and I couldn't seem to bring myself to drive forward.

Focused on the girl standing in the rain, my eyes caught sight of another car rushing toward me from behind. It seemed to be honking furiously, but my hearing failed me.

Another crack of thunder broke through the sky and a tree suddenly shook and plummeted to the ground. Finally alert, I swerved to the side and slammed right into a mailbox, sending a shower of glass on top of my lap. But that wasn't even the worst that happened.

I turned my head to the side and tried to find the girl standing in the road again, but I was too late. The car honked and honked, and the tree fell straight into the car's front windshield as the driver lost control of the wheel. As the tree shattered the windshield, the car swung to the side into the fragile girl, sending her flying across the street. I could hardly breathe, and for at least a minute, my heart stopped.

Slowly but surely, I began to lose control of myself. Pulling myself out of the car and into the rain with as much strength as I could muster, tears rushed down my face and I tried crawling to the little girl's side. Thunder shot across the sky a third time, but in this instant, it pierced the ground right in front of the little girl.

I'd never seen anything like it. A rainbow of thunder seemed to strike before the little girl, spawning from a pure white cloud above as if it were a neon sign flickering in the dark. Keeping me from her side, it appeared to dance on the concrete, producing a rainbow of colors from its base to the tips of my fingers.

Almost instinctively, I felt the need to touch the running colors before me, bringing the tips of my fingers to its chalky, thick, and wet texture. A shock burst through my body, starting at my feet and ending at the top of my head. I released a cry of absolute anguish.

The rainbow thunder crashed onto the concrete road one more time. Except this time, it took me with it.


	5. Penny

"Isn't this EXCITING!?"

My family looked at me as if I'd grown two heads, but I couldn't stop grinning. I was smiling from ear to ear as I presented my new creation; it was a beautiful cupcake topped with sprinkles, chocolate chips, icing, and other sugary toppings. It was the absolute best cupcake ever made in the history of awesome cupcakes.

"What do you think," I shouted, moving an inch to close to their liking.

"Now Penny," my father frowned uncomfortably, pushing me away slightly, "You know we love you, we just don't prefer, well, sweet stuff…"

My eyes widened as I stuffed the cupcake in my mouth. "DON"T LIKE SWEET STUFF," I gasped in between the cupcake, "Are you CRAZY?!"

My mother and father looked disgusted, and my sister Mandy just sat gazing at me as if I were simply doing something I would normally do. Which I was, actually. So what was more surprising was the fact that my parents expressed such disapproval and confusion.

"Well, you have your opinion, and we have ours," my father began, clearing his throat, "Now, why don't you find some friends to share this, ahem, unusual energy with."

I stuck my tongue out is disagreement. "Now you're really talking crazy," I exclaimed, "I only need my family. No friends, no problem."

My father and mother groaned as I enveloped the entire family into a group hug. I knew they didn't agree with my lifestyle, but I didn't mind. They could be boring all they wanted, but friends just weren't on my bucket list's top things to do before I die. Duh, eating every single piece of candy in the entire world was number one, as it should be of course!

"So Penny," my mother smiled, brushing off her freshly pressed shirt, "What did you have in mind for your birthday party today since you haven't invited anybody but us?"

Her voice trailed off when she mentioned the idea of a party without friends, but I ignored the condescending attitude.

"Well," I started, taking a big breath, "I want a chocolate fountain, cake, cupcakes, rock candy, lollipops, brownies, ice cream, gummy worms, marshmallows, candy bars, caramel—"

"Penny," my father cut me off, "how about a few balloons and a fresh baked loaf of sugar-free bread?"

My eyes fell to the floor. Of course, I thought. What else was new?

"Sure," I responded, not wanting to disagree with my father. "Why not?"

Kicking the carpet lightly as I walked out of the room, I found myself wondering why my family never wanted to have any fun. Having fun made the world go 'round. It made the sun shine brighter, and put a smile on my face a mile long. It was worth every second of my day, so why didn't it matter to my father, or my mother, or even my sister?

Heading to the kitchen, I heard pots and pans being clashed together as my mother tried to find a baking tray for the bread. How wonderful, I thought to myself. Sugar-free bread on my sugar-free birthday in a sugar-free home filled with sugar-free people. I silently leapt for joy in my mind.

"Penny, dear," my mother inquired, "Would you like to help with the bread?"

Sure, what could it harm? But really, what could it harm. My happiness, my reason to smile, my entire life, perhaps? Probably all accurate if you ask me.

Walking toward my mother's side to help find a useable pan, my father came in with a bundle of three plain colored balloons. What'd I expect? Fabulous, bright colored balloons with sparkles and different shapes? I think not.

Turning my head, I examined the three balloons, which my father hung gingerly on the kitchen door knob. The middle was blue, but the other two on either side were yellow. How generous. Two different colors to really fire things up.

Sighing, my eyes dropped but then shot back up, seemingly mesmerized by the balloons. They shimmered radiantly the second time I looked at them. My eyes widened.

They grew larger in size, almost as if they were floating right toward me to grasp my vision entirely. I tried to shake my head to clear their image, but it stayed seared into my line of sight.

Sweat ran down my forehead. The room began to spin wildly. I couldn't see my mom, or my father, or the kitchen with the clattering pots and pans. Everything was gone except for the three balloons.

The light began to fade, and my vision was slowly giving out. I fell to my knees and tried to reach out for something. I couldn't feel or hear anything, and for a second, I thought I was dying.

That was, until I heard a distant laugh and the three bright balloons swept me up and brought me into a world of nothingness.


	6. Twila

The sign read closed. My heart instantly dropped, knowing I'd have to go to town and hunt for the classic I'd been seeking for weeks. That is, until I discovered it was at this very library, but of course, it had to be closed.

Shaking my head and making my way back to the car, my father frowned as I had had no luck in getting my book. "I'm sorry Twi," he sympathized with me, "Maybe next time?"

I looked down at the floor board as I hopped into the car sluggishly. "Ya, sure," I sighed. "Next time."

My face radiated pure dissatisfaction, but who could really blame me? I was considered a nerd, and books were friendlier to me than any human being I'd ever met. In fact, I preferred books and studying to making friends anyway. That's just how my life had always been.

"Twila," my father began, "Would you like to look in town?"

"Sure, why not," I mumbled. "Let's just let me down even more while we're at it!"

I swung my head to look him in the eye, frustration spitting out with every word. "You've got to be kidding me," I spat, "There's no way we're ever going to get that book, so just give it up and let's go home!"

My father's face exploded into a fierce red, but he decided it was better to bottle his anger up instead of letting it out on me. He knew me well enough to know arguing back wasn't going to solve the situation. That's why I loved him so much and instantly felt bad for snapping at him so quickly like I had.

"Look, fa—"

His words cut my apology short. "It's alright, my shining star," he smiled, caressing my chin as he eased on his breaks at a stop sign, "I will never stay angry with you."

A genuine grin crept across my lips, and I couldn't help reaching out and embracing him in a meaningful hug. Who needed friends when you had such a wonderful father anyway? Not me, I thought to myself, smiling from ear to ear.

As my father let go and began to drive again, he turned on the street home and rain began to sprinkle to the earth. It pitter pattered against the windows and begged to come inside, but the windshield wipers swept the drops away in an instant. They flew away as if they were tears leaping from the eyes, and quite a beautiful sight it was to watch.

With the radio off and the sound of rain the only thing capable of filling my ears, my mind wandered off and almost missed the torn paperback book on the side of the road. Shocked, my arms shot up and I exclaimed aloud for my father to stop the car.

Since we were on a country road, there was no problem in coasting to the side of the road, but normally he wouldn't have been able to come to a stop so suddenly. It was a lucky find, I guess.

Opening the door quickly to retrieve the book, rain fell more heavily from the sky as I bent down to examine the cover. After a few minutes of squinting and observing, I discovered that the cover belonged to the exact book I had been searching for. How incredible!

Bringing the beautiful, yet tattered book to my chest, I smiled and squealed with pure joy. I was completely lost in my find that I forgot my father was waiting in the car, asking me if I was alright. His words were so distant, and the rain itself seemed to melt away into the atmosphere around me. In fact, my surroundings began to grow bleak and fade into an array of grayish colors all about.

My eyes broadened at the sudden change of scenery as the trees, sky, animals, road, and plant life liquefied like wax. I could still feel the book in my hands, but everything else was becoming unclear, and even my thoughts, hearing, vision, and sense of being began to stray away from me.

Looking back at the book cover, overcome with a sudden sense of fear that edged away quickly with the rest of my feelings, I read the title over and over again to try and assure myself of reality. _Element of Magic, Element of Magic, Element of Magic. _My own thoughts threatened to fade, but I tried as hard as I could to hold on._ Element of Magic, Element of Magic, Element of Magic._

The book rattled fiercely in my palms, shaking the letters of the title away until it was simply a blank cover. No!

Panicking, I tried crying out for help, but even I couldn't hear my own voice. Looking around desperately, my eyes fixated on a six sided pink star in the melted sky. It flashed intensely as if it were the most important thing I'd ever laid eyes on. Overcome with a sudden urge to reach out to it, the book escaped my hands and fell into oblivion, inscribed with a new title: _Friendship._

I had only caught a glimpse of the shimmering letters before it disappeared, and I with it, just as the star floated tenderly into my open palms.


End file.
